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  • Wastewater treatment plant effluent as a source of microplastics: review of the fate, chemical interactions and potential risks to aquatic organisms

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    LeuschPUB2771.pdf (189.0Kb)
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    Accepted Manuscript (AM)
    Author(s)
    Ziajahromi, Shima
    Neale, Peta A
    Leusch, Frederic DL
    Griffith University Author(s)
    Leusch, Frederic
    Ziajahromi, Shima
    Neale, Peta A.
    Year published
    2016
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    Abstract
    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent has been identified as a potential source of microplastics in the aquatic environment. Microplastics have recently been detected in wastewater effluent in Western Europe, Russia and the USA. As there are only a handful of studies on microplastics in wastewater, it is difficult to accurately determine the contribution of wastewater effluent as a source of microplastics. However, even the small amounts of microplastics detected in wastewater effluent may be a remarkable source given the large volumes of wastewater treatment effluent discharged to the aquatic environment annually. ...
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    Wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) effluent has been identified as a potential source of microplastics in the aquatic environment. Microplastics have recently been detected in wastewater effluent in Western Europe, Russia and the USA. As there are only a handful of studies on microplastics in wastewater, it is difficult to accurately determine the contribution of wastewater effluent as a source of microplastics. However, even the small amounts of microplastics detected in wastewater effluent may be a remarkable source given the large volumes of wastewater treatment effluent discharged to the aquatic environment annually. Further, there is strong evidence that microplastics can interact with wastewater-associated contaminants, which has the potential to transport chemicals to aquatic organisms after exposure to contaminated microplastics. In this review we apply lessons learned from the literature on microplastics in the aquatic environment and knowledge on current wastewater treatment technologies, with the aim of identifying the research gaps in terms of (i) the fate of microplastics in WWTPs, (ii) the potential interaction of wastewater-based microplastics with trace organic contaminants and metals, and (iii) the risk for aquatic organisms.
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    Journal Title
    Water Science & Technology
    Volume
    74
    Issue
    10
    DOI
    https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.414
    Copyright Statement
    © IWA Publishing 2016. This is the author-manuscript version of this paper. The definitive peer-reviewed and edited version of this article is published in Water Science and Technology Vol 74(10) pp. 2253-2269, 2016, https://doi.org/10.2166/wst.2016.414 and is available at www.iwapublishing.com
    Subject
    Environmental assessment and monitoring
    Publication URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/10072/100922
    Collection
    • Journal articles

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